2x feet Aquatic planted tank setup 2009 1.0

After many of nights planning and running permutations on the golden mean rule in my head, I've decided today'd be the day we be aplanting! Over the months since SLS, I've been parts shopping and researching that I've got everything require to setup my next planted tank. Hoping for a sunlight tank ala Diana L. Walstad (not all the way though), I didn't spent too much on lights as I was planning to place this tank outside in my yard (Seeing as you can't really baby-proof a pressurized CO2 canister along with a 15Gallon aquarium filled tank!). The first time i setup this tank, I had an old 2feet aquarium from my old apartment which i was planning to use; it was temporarily hosting a 6inch tortoise my old man found from around our neighbourhood! Alas in my ambitious plan to provide it more creature comfort i cracked it placing in a ceramic pot!! Would have chunked the entire project if it wasn't for all the work and purchases made already :) And wifey being her ever-supportive self, said i could purchase a new tank (this is after hours or trying to self-repair and dragging her to 3 LFS consequtively asking if they'd repair a cracked tank...)

After our Klang Panmee session I dropped by Xian Leng to purchase 2 pieces of driftwood for my tank, spending approximately rm15 on them

Below is the first layer that went in. It's pure laterite; which i use pure for most of my water-potted plants, ie. water-pennywort, water-poppy and mosaic plants. It's supposedly virgin soil, purchase at this nursery in Dengkil. According to the nursery-owner, the soil is actually dug from uncharted hills around the area, so it's supposedly pure of any "bad stuffs"! Well, it works wonders for tulips and water-lilies which is what they're specialized at :)

The second layer is a blend of planting soil from a friend. I've left it behind in my "cabbage-patch" for a past few months to leech away the bad-stuffs :P. The recipe for the second layer comes from Jim Kelly, he wrote an article entitled "Aquarium Technology for the Very, Very Budget Minded". Thank a bunch Jim :) So the second layer is potting soil mixed with vermiculite. 

So, here are the three bags of stuffs that went into the substrate. Potting soil is RM4, Vermiculite is RM7.60 from Ace Hardware and the Laterite virgin soil is RM3. Coincidentally, i went back to the nursery in Dengkil and was told that they've stopped digging for it! Wonder if anyone out there knows of any other nursery carrying these rich-laterite type soils? 

And lastly, the third layer of holland sand purchased from SLS the last trip there! 

Here are the plants i've purchased! A bunch of java-ferns going for RM10, there were nearly 5 saplings making the entire group here. Hopefully they'd all survive :)

I can't seem to figure out what plant this is! Anyone's got any ideas? Cousin's of hornworth maybe? Going for RM2 per bunch

Glossostigma at RM5Sword plants for RM2! My mistake on this guy, YY :P I totally forgotten my plant dictionary. Someone should come out with a definitive guide of 'em plants :) lol! Three more plants which I already had were thrown into the mix, water pennywort (Hydrocotyle spp.) some mosaic plant (Ludwigia sediode) and water poppy(hydrocleys nymphoides) . I may have the genus wrong, so guys if u spot the right plant, do tell me! 

Sideview of the tank

Frontview shot...

Glosso on the substrates... I was told later to have waited a while, to cycle the tank before putting glossos in (Thnk YY!), and am paying the price now, as i'm seeing them getting covered by algaes! Aiyak...lesson to learn i guess :P

Here's the tank filling up with water. Tips from Siang to place a piece of plastic so that the water pressure doesn't end up stirring up all your hardwork! 

Oh yeah, by the way... I run a china brand canister filter with a CO2 tank plus diffuser purchased from Galaxy Pet Links in Damansara Uptown, total approx RM400! As for lights fixture i DIY-ed a down-light fixture with Philip's latest BrightLight 23W CPL (6500K, 1600lumens with 82CRI, good measurements for photosynthesis i hope). Forgot to take a picture of it, will post in part 2! Oh as for the frame, it's a 2feet tank frame, purchase from Irene's nearly 6 years back!! It's so old that i don't even remember how much i paid for it :P lol! 

So here's how the tank looks on the first night! Eveything's in a dis-array! Last but not least is the budget spent thus far running a bill of RM175 on new stuff! I convince myself that most of these things are recyclable... i hope! Oh and those who have an idea of where i went wrong, please help!! Last update, the plants seems to be dieing... !! Shall cover that in the next update

1 . Light fixture RM 16 2 . Philips 23W 6500K CFL RM 18 
3 . 2xfeet tank RM 20  
4 . 2xSilicone sticks RM 16  
5 . Vermiculite RM 7.1  
6 . Trio Potting soil RM 4  
7 . Laterite virgin soil RM 3  
8 . Plant purchased RM 23  
9 . Tarp RM 6 
10. 2xdriftwood RM15 
11. Holland Sand RM 18  
12. 2xtank rm25
13 . Old CO2 tank RM 140  
14 . Old Canister filter RM 130  
15 . Old CO2 diffuser RM 20  
16 . Old bubble counter RM 8  
17 . Old check valves RM 3